136 STEGANOPODES. 



Catharies lurrovianus of Cassin (Pr. Acad. Philad, ii. p. 212) has been considered 

 by most writers to be a small example of the common Turkey Vulture of North 

 America ; but Mr. Eidgway has recently examined the type-specimen, and states that 

 it is identical with C. urubitinga of Pelzeln, the very distinct and well-known Orange- 

 headed Turkey Vulture of South America. 



This species was described by Cassin in 1845 from a single specimen presented by 

 Dr. Burrough to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and was said to 

 have been obtained in Vera Cmz, Mexico. Considering the number of naturalists 

 who have collected in all parts of Central America during the last fifty years, it is not 

 a little surprising that no one has ever noticed so conspicuous a bird as an Orange- 

 headed Turkey Vulture. 



In addition to the head being differently coloured from that of C. aura, the species 

 is distinguished by the feathering on the hind-neck, which is continued to the nape. 



In a letter to Mr. Ridgway Prof. A. Duges describes a downy young bird from 

 Guanajuato, which the latter thinks may be the young of C. lurrovianus. At present 

 we cannot believe that the Orange-headed Vulture is an inhabitant of any portion of 

 Central America. 



In Amazonia, especially near Para, C. urubitinga is said by Dr. Goeldi to be not 

 uncommon, being usually found in the vicinity of water. The food consists chiefly of 

 dead fish, but living ones are occasionally captured. 



The Californian Vulture [Pseudogryphu^ californicus) was supposed by Don Alfonso 

 Herrera to be found in the Valley of Mexico [La Nat. (2) i. pp. 175, 319], but, from a 

 MS. note which he has kindly sent us, it appears that there are no trustworthy data of 

 the occurrence of this species in Mexico. 



Order STEGANOPODES. 



The chief feature distinguishing this Order is the interdigital web, which unites 

 even the hallux or hind toe to the others, hence the name of " Totipalmati " given to it 

 by old writers. Other notable characters are the desmognathous palate, the absence 

 of basipterygoid processes, and the marked features of the pterylography, &c. 



Mr. Pycraft has recently written an important paper on the osteology of the 

 Steganopodes (P. Z. S. 1893, P- 82), and we have here adopted his conclusions, with 

 only a slight deviation from the aiTangement of the various groups. 



In the Steganopodes the following Families occur, all of which have representatives 

 in the Central-American Avifauna : — 1. Phaethontidae, 2. Fregatidse, 3. Pelecanidse, 

 4. Sulidse, 5. Phalacrocoracidse, 6. Plotidae. 



